Bird lovers in South Delta are invited to take part in a Christmas season tradition.
Volunteers in Ladner, Tsawwassen and south Richmond are needed for the Ladner Christmas Bird Count, to be held this year on Sunday, Dec. 22.
It's part of a regional Christmas Bird Count, which is part of a much larger count across the continent. It's a project of the National Audubon Society in the United States and coordinated north of the border by Bird Studies Canada.
This will be the 114th year of the Christmas Bird Count, the Ladner edition having joined in the 1950s.
The local count usually finishes at or near the top in the country when it comes to the number of bird species spotted. Last year, the Ladner count was once again tops in Canada by recording 146 species on count day.
Local birders are encouraged to participate in the count in a couple of ways. The first is by joining a small team of birders as it drives and/or walks around a designated area. Experience isn't essential as teams need drivers, recorders and spotters.
The other way to participate is to stay home and count the birds that come to your feeders or in your yard.
Bird Studies Canada notes the 114th Christmas count is expected to be larger than ever, expanding its geographical coverage and accumulating information about the winter distributions of various birds. Local counts are named for the centre of the count's circle. Circles often include other communities, which is why south Richmond is within the Ladner count.
The Ladner count, which usually has several dozen volunteers, also includes Point Roberts, making it one of the few to straddle an international border.
Today, volunteers from every Canadian province and territory, all 50 states in the United States, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies and Pacific Islands count and record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specified area.
"This is not just about counting birds," said Dick Cannings, Bird Studies Canada program co-ordinator. "Data from the Christmas Bird Count are at the heart of hundreds peerreviewed scientific studies and inform decisions by wildlife managers across Canada. Because birds are early indicators of environmental threats to habitats we share, this is a vital survey of North America and, increasingly, the Western Hemisphere."
For more information about the Ladner Christmas Bird Count, or to sign up to participate, contact co-ordinator Jude Grass at 604-538-8774 or [email protected].
